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Climate Scientists To WSJ: Check With Us Before Printing BS


By

Christopher Robbins

Published Feb 1, 2012

Modified Feb 1, 2012


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This is a climate change expert

 

kotomiti / Shutterstock


By

Christopher Robbins

Published Feb 1, 2012

Modified Feb 1, 2012


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A letter to the editor in this morning's Wall Street Journal has a breathtakingly straightforward lede: "Do you consult your dentist about your heart condition?" "Surely, not!" their readers likely chortled, spilling civet coffee all over their sprite-skin slacks. Yet that is precisely what the WSJ did four days ago when it published the hilariously titled op/ed "No Need To Panic About Global Warming" that was signed by people who have never studied global warming.

We took note of the deathly serious "Editor's note" at the beginning of the hack job that alerted us that 16 scientists had signed off on the piece, and decided to Google a few of them to check up on their climate science bonafides.

Jan L. Breslow, M.D. Dr. Breslow’s laboratory created the first mouse model of atherosclerosis by knocking out the gene for apolipoprotein E (apo E), found on the surface of several lipoproteins. If you jumble those letters up, they spell "climate expert," probably.

Princeton Physics professer, William Happer: “This is George Orwell. This is the ‘Germans are the master race. The Jews are the scum of the earth.’ It’s that kind of propaganda…Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. Every time you exhale, you exhale air that has 4 percent carbon dioxide." We know some email chains you'd love to be on...

Rodney W. Nichols A Harvard graduate and applied physicist, he is an experienced executive in both the public and private sectors. OK so he's READ the Wall Street Journal before—not bad! Bonus points for looking like you've just feasted on the blood of polar bears who've lost their habitats in your photo.

Dr. Roger Cohen is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and retired from ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company. No conflict of interest there!

We'll leave you with the words from today's letter (maybe James made some phone calls!) signed by 38 qualified scientists.

Research shows that more than 97% of scientists actively publishing in the field agree that climate change is real and human caused. It would be an act of recklessness for any political leader to disregard the weight of evidence and ignore the enormous risks that climate change clearly poses.

Tagged

climate change

climategate

global warming

rich people

scientists

stupid articles

wall street journal


Christopher Robbins

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Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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